Juba, South Sudan,
July 29, 2021 – The East African Community (EAC) has lauded the move by the Kenyan and South Sudanese governments to waive visa restrictions to ease cross-border movements to citizens from the two countries holding valid passports.
In a statement seen by Nyamilepedia, the EAC Secretary-General, Hon. Dr. Peter Mathuki said that the move was in line with the decision announced by the Chair of the EAC Heads of State, Uhuru Kenyatta, during the 21st Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held on 27th February 2021.
“This demonstrates the goodwill among the EAC Heads of State in promoting regional integration and revamping relations, which is set to boost intra-EAC trade,” said Dr. Mathuki.
Mr. Mathuki lauded the Republic of South Sudan, which has in the spirit of reciprocity also waived visa requirements for Kenyans, Rwandans, and Tanzanians wishing to visit the country describing the move as positive and a win for the community.
“This is a positive step towards realizing the gains of the Protocol on Establishment of the EAC Common Market and a win for the Community. It is set to expand trade and investment opportunities and scale up economic and social progression across the bloc,” he said.
According to Article 10 of the EAC Common Market Protocol, citizens of EAC Partner States are at liberty to accept employment within the territories of Partner States other than their own. The bloc called on the other Member States to follow suit and waive visas for South Sudanese.
“The EAC Secretariat urges the Partner States that have not yet waived visa requirements for South Sudanese citizens to expedite the negotiations with the Republic of South Sudan in line with the provisions of the Common Market Protocol on the free movement of persons and workers,” said Dr. Mathuki.
Article 7 of the EAC Common Market Protocol stipulates that ‘The EAC Partner States shall ensure non‐discrimination of the citizens of the other Partner States based on their nationalities by ensuring entry of citizens of the other Partner States into the territory of the Partner State without a visa and free movement of persons who are citizens of the other Partner States within the territory of the Partner State.’
It further outlines that, ‘EAC citizens are allowed to stay in the territory of a Partner State and exit without restrictions.’
The waiver of visa requirements by the Partner States for South Sudanese citizens and vice versa, EAC says, will further promote the free movement of persons, labor, and services, which will, in turn, step up cross-border trade in line with the EAC 2020/2021 budget theme of promoting private sector growth and trade development within the region.
The Partner States that have also waived visa requirements for South Sudanese citizens so are Rwanda and Tanzania.
Uganda, the closest neighbor to South Sudan still has visa restrictions intact, and so is Burundi.
